Idyllwild, California

Over Memorial Day Weekend, I went camping in Idyllwild, a small mountain town in the San Jacinto Mountains.  I joined in with the Outdoor Fellowship from Calvary Chapel and my good friend Janet, that I met at the Bluegrass Thursday night jam, came along. This is our humble campsite, nestled in between hundreds of pine trees.  

Janet, me and Lou led the worship time in the morning and evening. It was so much fun playing with these guys and it also helped me overcome my stage fright.

 Scarlet Indian Paintbrush were blooming throughout the hills.

I took this photo early one morning, directly behind our campsite. Spring has definitely sprung in Idyllwild!

That would be me on a rock in the campground. Life is good....

 

Pictures of our group sitting by the fire, talking, laughing, eating and singing. Great fun!

 

The trees have budded the tender green leaves of spring; oh to be a tree!

For the very first time, I saw the Manzanita in bloom. Pale pink flowers covered all the trees.

 

 Massive boulders and pine trees up in the mountains of Idyllwild.

Lou's wife, Patti, took some of the pictures you see here. She captured Orville, the man on the right who leads our group, in a pensive moment and Ed on the left getting ready to sing!

Oak and pine trees intermingled with the vast array of giant boulders.

 

My friend Janet, such a dear sweet woman who loves to camp as much as I do.

 

Purple thistle blooming up in the mountains; pretty, but sharp and prickly.

Larry and Anita, loving life in the great outdoors. Larry gave one of the morning devotionals and nearly brought us all to tears with his vivid stories and beautiful illustrations.

Gigantic Sugar Pine cones were scattered all over the mountains.

 

Becky and Jim, a great couple who jammed with us Friday night, and their little Jack Russell terrier. Apparently between the three of them, the dog is the fastest hiker!

Me and Lou, an extremely accomplished musician who plays in one of my favorite bluegrass bands, Box Canyon, getting ready to lead some singing.  Thank you Lou and Janet for making the worship so beautiful!

 Some of our younger and more energetic members!

 Tricia is pretty energetic all by herself and has enough energy for three people!

Most of my time was spent just looking at the trees. They were so magnificent, awe inspiring, colorful, majestic, tall, poetic, amazing.........and the list goes on.

Sue drinking her coffee with some other folks in the background.



Robert and Sheila....Robert gave one of the devotionals as well, did an excellent job. Everyone spontaneously clapped when he was done. Robert was so stunned he simply sat down. The talk was very good, and I must say it took some of my deepest fears away.

 

Spring color in town; don't you just love it?

 

Lou with his amazing wife Patty......a photographer, pharmacist, gardener, and of course wife and mother.

 

 Two sugar pine cones at the top of a very tall tree.

In 2010, this long awaited monument was installed, even though it is not quite finished. Artist, David Roy, was commissioned to create the piece after the original totem pole slowly decayed. The piece is breathtaking, as it is, and includes a bear, eagle, mountain lion, lizards and what not. I'm not quite sure what else needs to be done; maybe another eagle.

My favorite place to drink coffee in Idyllwild; the Higher Grounds Coffee house. That would be me, sitting out on the front porch, enjoying the sweet mountain air.

Elevation in Idyllwild is over 5,000 feet, which makes for brisk mornings and evenings!

 



 Quintessential Idyllwild; homey, country, ma and pa, old fashioned food and decor, plus one very happy go lucky baker.

On the way out of town, Janet and I stopped at Café Aroma for the most delightful lunch of garlic soup, bread with olive oil and salad. Thank you Lord for a wonderful weekend!

Agua Caliente County Park, Anza-Borrego, CA

Last weekend I joined a group camping out in Agua Caliente County Park, just outside of Julian in southern California. While driving through Ramona in the late afternoon,  I spotted this windmill and turned the car around, grabbed my camera and started snapping pictures.

This gorgeous oak tree stood out against the gray, cloudy sky, while the grass glowed in the incandescent sunlight. I wanted to stay overnight, under the tree, wrapped in a blanket.

One morning Orville, Bill, Sue and I went on an early morning hike up into the hills to watch the sun rise. Bill is the man in red, climbing up the rocky hillside through ocotillo bushes.

 

That would be me, looking out at the sun rising, loving life early in the morning.  Before we took off hiking, Bill made me a cup of real coffee; an amazing feat considering it was 5am and still dark.

 

Sun lighting up the sky, mountain, agave and spindly ocotillo bush. In a couple of weeks the long sticky branches will be topped with fiery red blooms.

 Sue standing in the morning light. This woman is incredible and camps and hikes all around the world by herself; definitely a gal after my own heart.

 Early morning view from our campsite in Agua Caliente County Park in Julian.

Orville and Bill, enjoying the early morning.

One morning we took a drive out to the mud caves. Craig is standing in the entrance to one of the caves. I thought he was joking when he said we were going in there. I would never have guessed that a cave was in that narrow cleft in the cliff.

Dave is the mastermind behind the whole mud caves thing. I couldn't find them again if you paid me a million bucks. He drove us down strange dirt roads, making quick turns down other strange dirt roads, passed a street sign for Hollywood and Vine and eventually came to a stop. I learned my lesson from the last trip and told them I was not going to drive, but would drive in the Jeep with the boss.

Big, bad Bart; no just kidding. He is actually a very nice guy, retired Marine, always wears shorts, tackles all the hard stuff and yet definitely has a soft heart.

Inside the mud cave it was all dark and spooky. Towards the back of the cave, light came through a large hole in the ceiling let  and illuminated the swirling sandstone.

Whenever I see such crazy, amazing beauty in the natural world, I thank God for all that He has made. He is totally and wonderfully awesome.

 

The little girl in front is Victoria, a sweet darling who proudly states that she is five and a half. She was such a good little hiker and never complained. Every once in a while she would hold out her hand and say I need help, and whoever was nearby would help her up or down whatever rock she was climbing. Such a joy, such a sweetheart.

Dave in a moment of quiet contemplation; is he thinking when will we ever get out of here? or why did I eat all that spicy chili last night?

Michelle's beautiful daughter, walking into the light; keep going girlfriend!

The caves turned into a twisted canyon which eventually led us back to the surface. The desert has such an ethereal beauty that can only be grasped by being there. Wish you could have been there!

Me, Victoria, Tanya and Dave, a little blurry but we are there! When I asked Bart if he could take our picture, he reassured me he had taken many pictures; he just didn't say how they came out.......hmmm.

The mud eye monster; a prehistoric creature that lives in mud caves and was caught in a storm and will forever be embedded into the walls of this cave. Poor little guy.

Here is Orville, a mighty man of God. Thank you Orville for organizing such a wonderful trip! It was a blast; at times a little hot, sometimes very windy, but all in all good fun, food and fellowship.

  "Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful." Psalm 147:1

 Here is Michelle, a gal that everybody loves.  Somehow she always ends up with a big rock in her backpack which makes her pack so heavy.  Looks like she learned her lesson this time and didn't bring a backpack. Good job, Michelle!

Stunning view as we drove through the desert after our walk in the mud.  

This would be Holly, a dear, sweet gal that I sincerely enjoyed meeting.

Here is Victoria, the girl who captured all of our hearts. Tanya, you have done such a wonderful job raising this beautiful, darling girl. May God be with you, dear sister.

 

 Sitting around the campfire, shooting the breeze; Bill was always cooking up some amazing thing over the open fire; bacon wrapped biscuits, beef kabobs and kept talking about marshmallows but I never saw any. Everyone promised me S'mores, but I never got one. Next time I will take matters into my own hands and bring marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate.  

On my way home, I stopped in Box Canyon and hiked around a bit taking pictures.

Its getting late and I must go. Good night, one and all.

You are loved. You are special. Believe it. Receive it.